In a computer system configured to implement an object oriented program environment, new objects may be created, and existing objects may be modified. Duplicates of an object may be instantiated in different parts of a computer system of an organization. As a result, over time the number and complexity and diversity of objects may increase, and their distribution throughout the system may expand making it difficult to keep track of and manage such objects. Therefore, there has been a need for an improved approach to managing large numbers of objects in a complex object oriented environment.